Even though the Mac Mini is not designed for playing games, it still has enough memory to run some. You’ll just need an external hard drive or another way to add more space if you want to download one game after another.I In addition to owning a Mac Mini, I am a huge fan of Apple products. In this article, I’ll explore how well the computer functions as gaming system and why it isn’t suited for one.Sit back and relax while you peruse this passage while enjoying a steamy cup of coffee.
What Makes the Mac mini?
Honestly, Mac desktops or Macbooks have never been the first choice of gamers. But the latest line of computers from Apple, including the all-new Mac Mini, marks a fresh chapter. The device is equipped with the company’s first in-house silicon instead of an Intel SoC.
The M1 chip offers many features despite being barebones at its most basic level, such as delivering the fastest graphics available in a personal computer according to Apple Incorporated.
This new M1 processor was made for iOS devices, just like your phone or tablet. Games of all kinds can be played on this machine!
Performance of Desktop Games on Mac Mini (M1)
Warzone
Yes, Warzone is indeed compatible with Macs. Playing it isn’t too hard either; all you need to do is read the guide for details. Modern Warfare releases at different times depending on when you buy it though – there are two scenarios that affect its release time.
GTA
GTA5 has not yet been released for Mac. Therefore, the game must be installed in Windows via Bootcamp. To install this program, you will need to have a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or higher with at least 3GBs RAM and 40GBs disk space free.
Intel’s Iris 5100 Graphics Processor powers the graphics on the latest Mac Mini. This Mac Mini can’t support a new graphic card being installed.
Minecraft
Playing vanilla Minecraft can be done without any lagging whatsoever. You will need a computer that can run it smoothly in order to accomplish this. The first thing I did was buy a Mac Mini with 16GB of RAM before setting up the game to run smoothly.
Stem Games
One method of getting Windows-only games onto your Mac Mini is through Boot Camp. Even though Macs do not come with Windows, you can install it on your Mac Mini using Boot Camp. As a result, every time you want to play an exclusive game from Microsoft’s operating system, all you need to do is restart your computer into its OS; which will show up after pressing Command + R or just holding down the Ctrl button for 3 seconds when it turns off (i.e. right before the Apple logo appears).
Resource-Intensive games
There has always been difficulty for Mac users to access desktop games, including PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG). It’s still impossible to play these games on macOS; most of them can only be played when developers update their game to support the M1 chip. Until then, they’re translated through Rosetta – Apple’s middleware that enables you to use software designed for Intel processors.
GPU processing does not depend on many outside sources like CPU-dependent software, such as a web browser. It is important to note that having compatible applications will always yield higher levels of performance – which is unfortunate for the Mac Mini because it did not work well in this case.
When I discovered that heavy video games ran well on my computer, I was excited. Games such as Counter-Strike Global Offensive and Shadow of the Tomb Raider played smoothly even at 1080p resolution and an average of 40 fps when used with a Bluetooth-enabled PS4 controller.
Although I had to lower the graphics to medium and disable finer aspects like shadows to achieve 60 fps, in the same way both Fortnite and Rocket League became playable on my computer – but neither of those two games has been updated for Mac OS lately.
There are times where my mind would race, thoughts becoming jumbled and interrupted – most often in high-activity situations such as when playing video games like CS:GO or Fortnite. However, these interruptions seem to take place only for gaming purposes, with no similar delays happening for games that don’t rely on constant input like the graphic game Firewatch.
They are able to run games at the highest possible graphics settings. Beyond only being capable of playing apps from the Mac App Store without issue, my M1 Mac Mini also performed smoother on Asphalt 9 than any other system out there including PC marketplaces and Steam.
The Mac Mini’s GPU also does an excellent job of managing heat, another highlight of the system. During a week-long period of use, the device only became slightly warm at all times. The Mac Mini’s GPU also does an excellent job of keeping it cool, another highlight of the system.
iOS Games
As a result of the M1’s ARM architecture, users can play iOS games on their computers alongside traditional desktop games. Most of these games, including Among Us and Monument Valley 2, have already been updated for M1 chipsets. Even without a touchscreen, you can still play these games. It will just take some getting used to using your mouse and keyboard instead of touching the screen.
In addition, even those iOS games that are not officially available on the Mac App Store yet, such as Call of Duty: Mobile, run smoothly on the Mac. It can be played on full screen after the Big Sur 11.1 update.
3 Ways to Play Your Favorite Games on Mac Mini
Here are some ways you can play your favorite games on your Mac Mini.
Using Virtual Machine
Gaming on PCs has been traditionally associated with Windows but modern advances in technology have made it possible for games to be played on either operating system. Macs are now capable of running Windows-based games much more efficiently than they used to so many gamers prefer them over PCs.
This is due to the faster performance of Windows graphics on similar hardware than Mac graphics. The cause for this is optimizations made in Windows’ drivers, and the structural difference between Windows OS and Mac OS X.
Your Mac Mini may not be capable of running your favorite Windows game, but you might still be able to play it using Parallels on your Mac Mini. This way, you don’t have to experience any hassles like getting kicked out for being too slow or restarting the computer every time you want to keep playing.
In-home Streaming
You may want to stream the game on your Mac Mini if you already have a powerful gaming PC with adequate graphics hardware and processing power.
You can use in-home streaming with your Windows computer to stream your favorite games over to your Mac Mini. This means that you don’t need a gaming PC or laptop because you can play games on the Mac Mini as long as the computers are connected through Wi-Fi.
Boot Camp
Macs have a dual booting feature called Boot Camp which allows for switching back and forth between macOS or Windows operating systems.
Your Mac Mini can be configured to run Windows-only games through Boot Camp. Mac Minis do not come with Windows preinstalled, so it is possible to install it.
If you want to play Windows-based games on your Mac, you can do so by rebooting into the Windows operating system. You’ll need to constantly reboot your Mac for every time you decide to load up a game however.
Final Words
The Mac Mini does not provide a satisfactory gaming experience at all. With most of the popular game platforms and stores (such as Steam and Epic Games Installer) not optimized for the M1 Chip, I am constantly required to forcibly quit and reload games in order to play them.
Although you may be able to avoid these inconveniences by using Windows virtual machines, the FPS and graphics will remain inferior. You may prefer the Mac experience over the Windows experience because of its higher resolution or other features for which you are fond of.
There are many games that cannot be played on a Macintosh, so you’ll be missing out. For example, if you don’t mind the hassle then you can use any of the methods outlined above to install Windows games onto an M1 Mac Mini from Apple.
